GRAND RAPIDS, MI — With news of four East Rockford Middle School students suspended for sexting, Superintendent Mike Shibler is encouraging families in and outside the district to attend an upcoming forum on Electronic Safety in the 21st Century with their children. Sexting is the exchanging of sexually explicit material with someone primarily via cell phone. Prior to the holiday break, Shibler said the district had to become involved in a situation in which a 13-year-old girl texted a topless photo of herself to a boy. He said it became a discipline matter because it was being circulated among other students. “Young people don’t understand the consequences of sexting,” said Shibler, who said it happened outside school hours on a weekend. “Any student, adolescent that engages in this is going to be paying the consequences far beyond being suspended from school.”

Shibler said it is going to take families, schools, community service groups and churches to help young people not make these types of “egregious mistakes.” He said he was informed the sheriff’s office is looking into exactly what transpired but the girl and three boys suspended in December are back at school. He did not know the exact length of the suspensions issued by the principal. He said the electronic safety forum on Jan. 17 is not in response to the incident but has been planned for some time. The discussion is one five Community Education and Prevention series the district’s crisis team has been hosting as part of its Developing Healthy Kids campaign. Below are the details of the event scheduled at the Rockford High School Auditorium, 4100 Kroes St. NE, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.: • Electronic Safety in the 21st Century: Sexting, texting and Driving, and the importance of Internet Safety. Presented by Kathy Ribbens, Trauma and Burn Education, Outreach, and Injury Prevention at Spectrum Health; Amy Bercher, Kent County Health Department; and Nic Bottomly, therapist, 17th Circuit Court Family Division.